Ray Allen says wearing bigger sneakers has helped extend his career

When the Celtics assembled the Big Three back in 2007, the health of Ray Allen was a major concern. Allen was coming off double ankle surgery and was the oldest of the new trio. Since his game relies on making cuts and coming off screens, critics wondered if the move would pan out for the C’s. It did, and now you could argue that he looks fresher and younger than Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, with K.G. looking hobbled ever since hurting his knee and Pierce showing a little less burst than he used to.

“My feet were always hurting,” he told CSNNE.com on Sunday. “I was at shootaround in Detroit two years ago, I was running through it, and when I got back to the bus, it was just like the shoes, my orthotics – I called over to Nike and said, ‘The next shoe allotment, send it to me in 15s.’ I’ve been a 15 ever since.

“Down in my ankles, I need that blood to flow. Sometimes if the shoe’s too tight, you just feel pressure on your feet. It just doesn’t restrict my feet as much. My feet can breathe.”

When he entered the league in 1996, Allen was wearing a size 13. He has since jumped up two sizes and has become the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made. In this his 16th season, Allen is shooting a career-best 45.9 percent from beyond the arc. If Ray Ray decides to move up to a size 16 in the next couple of years, he just might make it into his mid-40s.